In Qld this has been the last day of the term for half way through the year in schools...With the end of term comes alot of stress from kids as they look down the barrel of half yearly exams...

I remember back to years ago when I was at high school and I stressed so bad about exams that I would get exzema up ny arms and on my eyelids...I would panic and cram for them along with alot of my other friends...We would walk into those exams all stressed and hit panic stages when we didn't know something...I would get sick in the stomach and work myself up so bad in the exam that I would then have trouble answering other questions I knew the answers to...

So with my kids I have tried to make exam time just that little bit easier for my kids...Kids will still get stressed but try these to help them along their way...

Help them with their work on revising...It is not to hard to do put the book next to you in the kitchen while you cook tea and pop quizz them...You can pop quizz them any time during your normal life...We put off chores for our kids so they have time to study without the added stresses on top...

Always have a desk in their rooms a place where there is no distractions for them when they are studying...Michaela prefers to lie on her bed and study where as John likes to sit up to his desk to do it...Tiana will sit just about anywhere as long as it is really quiet...Aidan can study with music blaring in his room and you know if they can study with noise let them...

Make sure they are ready the day of the exam...Make sure they have all the equipment they need pens, pencils, ruler sharpener and calculator if needed...Going into a test and realising you have forgot something is the worst...So help them in this time...

Before they leave for the day off to school tell them goodluck and tell the no matter what you are sure they will try their best..Tell them to stay calm in there and if they don't know the answer to one question then move on to the next...If they have time they can always come back...

When they come home after the exam let them tell you how bad or good they think they did...Then tell them okay well that one is done and gone now so lets focus on the next subject...It is done and gone so let it go and move on to the next...

Through all of this you need to be calm and always be supportive of them and reassure them that exams are not the end of the world...

Try to keep exams as what they are exams nothing else... we know now that they weren't the end of the world if we failed one so without saying that to your kids try to keep them as less stressed as you can...

Maybe on the last day of exams when they are all done have a little celebration...A nice dinner at home or even go out to tea or buy take away for a treat...Just to show them that you know how hard a time it has been for them and you are proud of them for getting through them no matter what the outcome...

Just my thoughts on what we do here at this time of the year...So I thought I would share them with you...

Have a great day
Cheers
Angie